Can carrier



Nov. 12, 1957 J; c. BRACKETT 2,812,857

I CAN CARRIER Filed Dec. 10, 1954 4 INVENTOR John C. Brae/vi? BY M- g ATTORNEY United CAN CARRIER Application December 10, 1954, Serial No. 474,440

Claims. ((31. 206-65) This invention relates to an improvement in can sleeves and deals particularly with a simple and inexpensive carrier for a plurality of cans.

Various types of sleeves have been developed for use in returning a plurality of cans contained within a paper board sleeve. The sleeves are usually provided with flaps which fold inwardly to engage the chimes of the cans and to prevent the cans from leaving the open ends of the sleeves. One of the problems encountered in sleeves of this type lies in the fact that such sleeves must be made of stiff paper board to prevent any chances that the flaps will bend or fold to allow the heavy cans to drop out'of position. As a result, while the sleeve itself is simple, it usually requires a good grade of paper board; thus, increasing the cost of production.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a can sleeve which is made of relatively light weight board and which is reinforced so that the flaps are stronger than the body of the sleeve. As a result the cost of production is decreased.

A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a sleeve formed of light weight paper board having overlapped ends which form the part of the sleeve used to construct two of the can retaining flaps. As a result the thickness of two of the flaps is doubled by securing these parts in overlapping relation.

An added feature of the present invention lies in the provision, when desired, of a reinforcing strip which overlies the portion of the carton forming the remaining can retaining flaps so that the thickness of these flaps may also be doubled.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a can carrier showing the construction thereof.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the blank from which the sleeve is formed with a reinforcing strip in place thereupon.

Figure 3 is an elevation view of the blank in flat form showing the reinforcing strip in place.

Figure 4 is a plan View of the reinforcing strip removed from the blank.

Figure 5 is a sectional view through a can sleeve showing the cans in place therein.

The can sleeve, in the particular form illustrated, is designed to hold one row of cans. It is believed obvious that similar construction could be used for carriers employing a plurality of rows of cans.

The can sleeve A is designed to hold a plurality of cans B.

The sleeve A is constructed as is best illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. The sleeve includes a top panel which is foldably connected along a fold line 11 to a side wall panel 12. The panel 12 is in turn connected along a fold line 13 to a bottom panel 14. The bottom panel 14 is foldably connected along the tates Patet O engage the cam chimes.

fold line 15 to a side wall panel 16 which in turn is foldably connected to a top plan 17 by a fold line 19. The fold lines 11, 13, 15 and 19 are parallel.

The ends of the top panels 10 and 17 are foldably connected to flaps which are designed to enter the recessed ends of cans and to engage against the can chimes. The top panel 10 is connected along fold lines 20 and 21 to flaps 22 and 23, respectively.

The top panel 17 is connected along fold lines 24 and 25 to flaps 26 and 27, respectively. The bottom panel 14 is connected along fold lines 29 and 30 to closing flaps 31 and 32. The various fold lines 20, 29 and 24 and the fold lines 21, 30 and 25 are preferably aligned in the fiat form of the blank.

It will be noted that in the particular form of construction illustrated the fold lines connecting the flaps to the top and bottom panels lie inwardly from the edges of the side wall panels. The purpose of this arrangement is so that the side walls may project slightly beyond the centers of the end cans of the series being contained.

The reinforcing strip 33, best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, is adhered to the surface of the bottom panel 14 to lie along the center portion thereof. The reinforcing strip 33 includes a center portion 34 designed to overlie the bottom panel 14 at the center thereof and this center portion is connected along parallel fold lines 35 and 36 to flaps 37 and 39. The flaps 37 and 39 overlie the flaps 31 and 32 of the bottom panel 14 and are adhered thereto.

When the blank is glued the panels 10 and 17 are adhered in overlapping relation with the flaps 22 and 26 adhered together and the flaps 23 and 27 adhered together. Thus both the top and bottom flaps of the can carrier are of double thickness, thereby strengthening the carrier at its weakest point. If it is found necessary to strengthen only one pair of flaps, the reinforcing strip 33 may be omitted.

In the description the carrier has been described as having top and bottom walls and side walls. This is for the purpose of description only, as any of the walls may be uppermost when the cans are contained and carried. a

With the arrangement illustrated the sleeve may be made of a material which is substantially thinner than the material normally required for such carriers, as the Weakest part of the carriers is usually the fiaps which Thus, with the present construction, board of approximately one-half the usual thickness may be employed as the end parts are reinforced both by the double thickness areas and the adhesive used in connecting these parts.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my Can Sleeves and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A blank for a can carrier including five panels foldably connected together along parallel fold lines, the two end panels of the series being designed to overlap, flaps hingedly connected along parallel lines of fold to each of said end walls, a reinforcing strip extending across said blank in a direction parallel to said fold lines and secured in spaced contact therewith, and can retaining flaps hingedly secured by fold lines to the intermediate portion of said intermediate panel and to the intermediate portion of said reinforcing strip, providing flaps of double thickness.

2. A can carrier comprising a sleeve of paperboard including five panels hingedly connected by parallel lines of fold, flaps hingedly secured to the ends of the end panels of the series, said flaps being shaped to extend within the chimed ends of cans when folded inwardly of the sleeve into substantial surface contact with the inner surface of the inner of said end panels when said end panels are overlapped.

3. The structure of claim 2 and including flaps on the intermediate panel of said five panels hingedly secured to the ends thereof and foldable inwardly into substantially parallel relation to said intermediate panel.

4. A can package for holding and in combination with a plurality of aligned cans, the package including a series of five panels of paperboard hingedly secured together along parallel lines of fold, the central panel of said series extending parallel with one end of each of said cans, and the end panels of the series being overlapped and overlying the other ends of said cans, flaps hingedly secured to the ends of said end panels and folded incentral panel folded inwardly against the chimes at said one end of said cans.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 414,077 Pike Oct. 29, 1889 499,654 Clark June 13, 1893 2,571,833 Chidsey Oct. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 21,096 Great Britain of 1902 

